OTTAWA INTERNATIONAL WRITERS FESTIVAL
The bi-annual fest that celebrates the written word begins this Thursday and will continue through the weekend. The event features world-renowned, award winning writers and straddles genres that include journalism, fiction, poetry, history, science, and more, all while discussing the craft and drawing from the writers’ personal experiences. Noteworthy names for this edition include Vincent Lam, Linden MacIntyre, Joshua Foer, and Nora Young. Thursday, April 26, to Monday, April 30. Costs vary for individual events, free for members. Event times and locations vary, www.writersfestival.org.

CLASSIC ALBUMS LIVE: THE DOORS
Get your weekend started early by grooving out to tunes from the ’60s and ’70s. A carefully selected cover band will recreate performances from The Doors’ last release in 1971: the blues-rock venture L.A. Woman, which was the last album the band did together before Jim Morrison’s death. Fans can expect to hear great hits such as “Love Her Madly,” “Riders on the Storms,” and the title track for which the album was named. Thursday, April 26. $37.50. 8 p.m. Shenkman Arts Centre, 245 Centrum Blvd., www.shenkmanarts.ca.

CATS, RATS… AND INTRODUCING BATS (FREE!)
Gwendolyn Best’s new quirky-named exhibit will be showcased at Orange Art Gallery this weekend into the month of May. Best’s love for animals shows through in her new exhibit (her work commonly features creatures of some kind), as well as a playful use of colour. A preview of the show, as well as an opportunity to meet the artist, will take place this Thursday from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday, April 26, to Sunday, May 13. Free. 233 Armstrong St., www.orangeartgallery.ca.

EXPERIMENTAL PERFORMANCE AND THEATRE NIGHTS
Starting this Friday, the Patrick John Mills Gallery will be hosting Experimental Performance and Theatre Nights, a must for anyone looking to break into the theatre scene, or who loves seeing up-and-coming talent. A space for emerging plays, films, dance performances, and poets to express themselves in an alternative, intimate venue, this experience will provide a great starting point for aspiring artists to display their talents and get feedback from the audience. The series will take place the last Friday of every month through to August. Friday, April 27. $10. Doors at 7.30 p.m., performances at 8 p.m. 286 Hinchey Ave., www.patrickjohnmills.ca.

ENERGY: POWER TO CHOOSE
This family-friendly exhibition at the Canada Science and Technology Museum aims to create awareness and educate Canadians about electricity consumption across our nation in an accessible way that will get you thinking. The exhibit lets children (and adults too!) create their own electricity, with use of the human hamster wheel (how could you not want to check that out?). Ongoing. $11, students and seniors $9, children (three to 12) $6. 1867 St. Laurent Blvd., www.sciencetech.technomuses.ca.

OTTAWA VEG FEST
Anyone curious about vegan food, or those who simply love the cuisine, will be in their element during the 4th annual Ottawa Veg Fest. Fun for the whole family, this year’s expanded event features free food sampling (yum!), tons of exhibitors who are promoting the plant-based diet, guest speakers and cooking demonstrations by local chefs and experts, and a silent auction to raise money for National Capital Vegetarian Association events. Sunday, April 29. Free. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Glebe Community Centre, 175 Third Ave., www.ncva.ca.